Women's Lacrosse 2003 Season Outlook - Guilford College

As Tara Caminiti-Raggett begins her third year as head coach, there is continued optimism in the Quakers camp as they try to improve on last season's results.  Seven letter winners combine with six freshmen to form the deepest squad that Caminiti-Raggett has enjoyed.

The Quakers entered the preseason with the biggest numbers they have had.  Caminiti-Raggett hopes the depth and competition amongst the team will lead them for greater successes this season. "We had a good fall season and are leaps and bounds ahead of where we were a year ago," said Caminiti-Raggett.

Caminiti-Raggett's second recruiting class yielded many potential starting candidates, although inexperience is a concern. There is always a question of how freshmen will handle the pressure of starting, but Caminiti-Raggett believes there is a lot of maturity among them and the returnees will be able to guide them. Furthermore, she knows the teams success will hinge on how quickly the young players come along. Most importantly, Caminiti-Raggett realizes her defense must be solid. The defense starts with goaltending. 

The anchor of the defense is goalie Lindsey Kennedy. The All-ODAC honorable mention performer played every minute in goal for the Quakers last season and broke the school record for saves in a season and saves in a game. She made league-high 231 stops and posted a .523 save percentage in 13 games. Her percentage ranked sixth in the conference and is second best in Guilford history.

OFFENSE

The Quakers lost Kathryn Ragin, who led the team in every offensive category. They will need to replace her 33 goals and 36 total points. Leading the attack will be sophomore Sarah Routhier. Routhier leads all returnees with 28 points and 18 goals.  Routhier will be able to concentrate on her game with more offensive support around her. Senior utility player Katie Rice will concentrate primarily on attack and junior Lauren Goodwin will add depth to the Quakers.

MIDFIELD

Caminiti believes this is an area where the Quakers need to keep better possession of the ball. Senior Melissa Urann will help this cause, as she led the team two seasons ago with 46 draws. Urann is also a potent scoring threat with 38 career goals. Freshman Danielle Brisotti, the starting women's soccer goalie, has good speed and should add another scoring threat. 

DEFENSE

Junior Kate Hardy will head the Quakers' defensive unit. Hardy was second last season with 47 ground balls. Freshmen Lily Montgomery, Katie Gilligan and Jenn Cahill also figure in to see quality time for Guilford.

The Quakers non-conference schedule features games with Division II powerhouses Limestone College and Pfeiffer College. The Quakers open the season Feb. 24 at Ferrum, and return home for their first game Mar. 1 against conference foe Roanoke.